Thanks to the spectacular incentives and quality of life led by air hostesses, Air hostesses is a popular profession worldwide. One must fulfil some strict criteria to become an air hostess, but the education qualification is not the most crucial part of becoming an air hostess. 

So what does it take? How to Become an Air Hostess? 

Well, follow along with the steps you should follow to become one. 

What is an Air Hostess?

Air hostesses are the aircrew members responsible for making the flight more convenient and pleasurable for passengers by ensuring their safety and comfort. The career opportunities for an air hostess are appealing since both travelling and inflight service are getting more hype daily. 

Air Hostesses, flight attendants, and flight stewards are the very souls of inflight service. It wouldn’t be an overstatement or exaggeration to label Air Hostesses as brand ambassadors of an airline. 

Eligibility Criteria to Become an Air Hostess

• Higher Secondary Education/ 10+2/ Diploma in Hospitality or Tourism Management
• No crime history
• Unmarried (preferred, however, this might not be the case worldwide)
• Medically and physically fit
• Applicants should generally fall within the age group of 18-26. 
• Good command over English and other language depending upon their country. 
• Height of 157 cm and proportional weight. (A good height-weight ratio is preferred)
• Different companies and airlines have different policies for hiring Air Hostesses. Nevertheless, the standard procedure for the selection of air hostesses includes  

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Skills Required to Become an Air Hostess

• Excellent Communication Skills

Excellent Communication skills- clear speech, good command over English or other languages depending on the airlines and country- and captivating songs is something every air hostess should possess. 

• Time Management

• Empathetic and Reassuring skills

In an emergency, air hostesses must maintain calm, reassure the passengers and make them follow the safety protocols.

• Pleasing Personality

Since Ais Hostesses are required to get along with people of all ages, cultures and dispositions, they should have a pleasing personalities. This encompasses friendly behaviours and social abilities. 

• Professionalism and Patience

As an Air hostess, you will meet with all sorts of people. While some of your clients could be pleasing and understanding, this cannot be said for every flight attendant. In such circumstances, Air Hostesses must have patience and professionalism. 

What are the roles and responsibilities of an Air Hostess? 

• Air hostesses need to attend the pre-flight briefing where they are assigned tasks and informed about any specific jobs, working positions, and details of peculiar/particular passengers who might need extra care (passengers in a wheelchair and so on) for the upcoming flight. 
• Carrying out the pre-flight job duty from ensuring the cleanliness of the aircraft to checking the safety equipment and first aid. They also need to ensure that all the meals and drinks are stocked and fresh. 
• Welcoming travellers on board and directing them to their seats politely.
• Guiding the passengers to store their hand luggage away safely. 
• Informing passengers about safety procedures and checking seatbelts and galley before the plane takes off. 
• Handle rude passengers who are/could create discomfort to others in a polite, firm and professional manner. 
• Observe well to ensure any suspicious events or items.
• Making necessary announcements and patiently answering the questions of the passengers.
• Serving reading materials, meals and refreshments to passengers. 
• In an emergency, reassure passengers and make them follow the safety procedures. 
• Hand out first aid if necessary. 
• Preparing for emergency landings or evacuations of passengers if needed. 
• Ensuring that the patients land safely, checking and ensuring that passengers have not left behind their luggage. 
• Completing paperwork such as a flight report. 

Steps to Becoming a Successful Air Hostess

Get a relevant diploma or an undergraduate degree

Getting a High School Diploma is the minimum education required to be an air hostess. That doesn’t mean you have to stop there. You can get relevant diplomas and undergraduate degrees that can hone your skills, improve your English fluency, and teach you to manage people more effectively. 

An undergraduate degree like BBA in Aviation or similar diplomas (in communication, tourism, language, travel, public relations and so on) will enhance your skills and make you more noticeable in the eyes of your employers

These are some of the air hostess training courses and degrees you can undertake:

Note that, depending on your country, you may or may not have these or similar courses. 

Additionally, to become a successful Air Hostess, you need not mandatorily gain the degree mentioned above before beginning your journey as an Air Hostess. 

You can eventually get these degrees and increase your skills and portfolio for better raises and jobs. 

Gain work experience

If you have served customers in your job before and built a good image around it, that can be an excellent plus to kick start a career in airlines as an air hostess. 

Moreover, it’s okay if you have work experience in other sectors than air hostessing, such as receptionist, barista, waiter/waitress etc. 

Apply for air hostess positions at Airlines and appear on the selection tests.

Even if you are perfect for the position, if you don’t present yourself and your skills or don’t apply to airlines, it won’t do you any good. 

So, tailor your resume, search for vacancies in air hostess positions and fill in the application. 

You might need to appear in interviews, writing tests, group discussions etc. The airlines also conduct drug tests, vision and hearing tests and background checks to deem you eligible for the position finally. 

During the final days of your training, the airline could ask you to work on a test flight as a cabin crew which the certified air hostess will fully monitor. 

Get short training

After you have been hired, you need to take short training sessions, which could last anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. 

During this time, you will learn how the airline operates, your job responsibilities as an air hostess and the safety guidelines you are to follow. 

Get Certified

Last, you must get certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or other equivalent bodies. After this, you will remain and work as an Air Hostess as long as the certifications last.

Mind that if you wish to apply and work for another airline, you don’t have to re-apply for the certification but transfer it.

Better your people skills and communication skills.

The steps mentioned above will guide you through becoming an Air Hostess. However, suppose you want to become an air hostess that leaves an impression on passengers and employers. In that case, you must display excellent social, radiance, listening, calmness, and communication skills.

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Salary of an Air Hostess

The salary of an Air Hostess is quite impressive, given the incentives, bonuses and flexibility of working hours. 

International airlines pay better than domestic airlines. The salary of air hostesses on domestic airlines ranges from USD 5,000- USD 40,000 globally. 

On the other hand, the salary paid by international airlines to air hostesses ranges from USD 12,000- USD 70,000 and more per year. 

Pros and Cons of Becoming an Air Hostess

Advantages of Becoming an Air Hostess

• Without earning a difficult degree or severe educational qualification, you can make a lucrative career that allows you to earn thousands of dollars per year. 
• You will get medical benefits or insurance as a courtesy of your employer or airlines. 
• You will travel nationally or globally to beautiful places, depending on the nature of the airlines you serve. 
• You will get 5-10 free tours and a heft discount on other personal tours when planning a family trip. 
• Other than an attractive salary package, Air Hostess get other privileges like incentives, gratuity, retirement benefits, work trips and bonuses etc. 

Disadvantages of Becoming an Air Hostess

• Even if you are emotionally and mentally fit for the job, there are physical factors that the air hostess job depends on. As a result, in most airlines, air hostesses cannot work after they cross a certain age. 
• You cannot get visible tattoos. 
• The profession is very competitive. 
• This job requires you to look and act pleasant no matter what. It could get frustrating always to manage such decorum. 

FAQ

• Can I become an Air Hostess if I am a male?

Yes. Gone are the days when air hostessing was just a girl's profession. Now many airlines (sadly not all, though) accept males as flight attendants. There are over 25,000 men today working as flight attendants. 

• Is the job of Air Hostess Safe? 

Besides the once-in-a-while uncertainties and events, air hostess is a safe profession.

• Can the air hostesses get married and continue working?

There was once a time when air hostesses were compulsorily unmarried. This remains true for many airlines. However, some airlines allow air hostesses to get married if they have served for four years or more in the same airline. 

• How to become an air hostess after the 10th?

No, you cannot become an air hostess after passing class 10th. You atleast need to have a high school diploma/ intermediate level education or pass class 12.